ANWAR QUAKES, A REFERENDUM ON ZAHID'S DNAA - CHANGE OF GOVT IN PAHANG IF PAS WINS PELANGAI? - NAJIB'S HOMESTATE OR NOT, MALAYS EXPECTED TO SNUB ZAHID & ANWAR

ANWAR QUAKES, A REFERENDUM ON ZAHID'S DNAA - CHANGE OF GOVT IN PAHANG IF PAS WINS PELANGAI? - NAJIB'S HOMESTATE OR NOT, MALAYS EXPECTED TO SNUB ZAHID & AN

KUALA LUMPUR (Politics Now!) - All eyes are on the Pelangai by-election, with pundits speculating that a win by Perikatan's PAS may trigger a change in the Pahang state government.

 'There’s no anti-party hopping law in Pahang, and there’s a possibility that if Perikatan (PN) wins the by-election, it could cause government assemblymen to jump," said an analysis in the Star titled All eyes on Pahang.

Unlike the recent twin by-elections in Johor, Malays are the clear majority in Pelangai. About 70% of the 16,456 voters are Malay and 20% are Chinese.

As such, whether the victor is from Umno or Perikatan depends on how much support they can each get from the Malays. 

In the Johor by-elections, Pakatan Harapan won both Pulai and Simpang Jeram as it had solid support from Chinese voters, while Perikatan received the most Malay votes. In the Pulai federal seat, Malays made up 44%, Chinese 40% and Indians 12% of the voters, while the Simpang Jeram state seat comprised 51% Malays and 44% Chinese.

Also, based on the results of the six state polls held earlier in August, Perikatan had dominated in seats where that community was the majority.

REFERENDUM ON ZAHID & ANWAR

So on paper, Pelangai is exactly the type of seat in which Perikatan would thrive. However, Pelangai is an Umno stronghold, and although  it should be able to retain the seat, it is still not a certainty that Umno president Zahid Hamidi can carry the victory for Umno - with ex-prime minister Najib who is still popular in his home state of Pahang still in jail for corruption.

"Interestingly, I believe that the Pelangai polls can be seen as a referendum on whether Umno voters are happy with Ahmad Zahid’s discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) from all 47 charges he faced while Najib remains jailed," said the analysis.

The Pelangai seat fell vacant after Umno’s Pelangai assemblyman Johari Harun died in an aircraft crash in Shah Alam on Aug 17.

In the 15th General Election in November 2022, the late Johari won the seat with a majority of 4,048 votes; he won against Kasim, who gained 3,260 votes; Pakatan Harapan’s Ahmed Wafiuddin Shamsuri, who won 2,031 votes; and Pejuang’s Isa Ahmad who had 65 votes.

ADNAN FACTOR

In the by-election due to be held on October 7, Amizar Abu Adam of Umno faces Perikatan’s Kasim Samat of PAS and Independent candidate Haslihelmy DM Zulhasli, who was immediately sacked from Umno for contesting.

"It will also be interesting to know which party and candidate former Pahang Mentri Besar  Adnan Yaakob will support. Is Adnan still loyal to Umno? Or is he friendly with Perikatan now?"

Adnan was Umno’s Pelangai assemblyman from 1986 to 2022. Last month, Adnan was seen to be supporting Perikatan chairman and Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.

"Will it be hadiah bungkus (gift wrapped) or bungkus (lose) for Umno in the by-election in Pelangai, Pahang?"

Politics Now!